Aisyah Hanafiah
Attorney (Atty.) Putroë Aisyah Hanafiah '''(pronounced: eye-SHAHNote': In Indonesian, the combination of the letters "s" and "y" creates the "sh" sound.'' hah-NAH-fee-ah; Acehnese Jawoë: ڤوتري عايشه حنفيه) is a character in the Resurgam universe. She is an Indonesian-American criminal defense attorney and a former love interest of entrepreneur Alistair Krei with whom she shared a "one-night stand". Born to an Indonesian family in New Yoramigan, she and her parents moved to San Fransokyo during Aisyah's adolescence for her father's career opportunity. After studying criminal justice in New Yoramigan Law School, she returned to San Fransokyo to work for the Iwamoto-Rainer LLP firm. In the aftermath of the events of Big Hero 6, Aisyah will represent Robert Callaghan's case in court as his attorney. Appearance Physical Attributes Standing at a height of 5'6" or 1.68 metres, Aisyah is a 33-year-old Indonesian woman with tan-brown skin and a lean physique. She has shoulder-length straight black hair that is typically worn down or in a ponytail in informal occasions (and worn in a high bun in formal situations) along with dark eyebrows and brown almond-shaped eyes. She has plump lips and a flat, rounded nose. Aisyah has her ears pierced and tends to wear a pair of silver studs in most settings. Her height is typically boosted by 2-3 inches when wearing heels or stilettos. Everyday Attire Partially due to her occupation, Aisyah is known to be a rather fashion-forward dresser who selects her outfits based on aesthetic and stylistic factors, though she does enjoy donning a more business casual style from time to time. Like the other characters in the Big Hero 6 ''universe, she changes her attire on a daily basis. Though not devoutly religious (she has ceased to wear the ''hijab ''since childhood), Aisyah still attempts to dress in accordance to Islamic dress code, which promotes modesty. Thus, she is never or rarely seen wearing overly short pants, skirts, or tank tops, instead preferring layers of different garments consisting of loose-fitting long-sleeved blouses, jeans or slacks, heels, and cardigans or leather jackets. Her favourite colours include white, cream, brown, grey, and black, which are most prominently featured in her clothing choices. Previously, she viewed makeup as a waste of time and money, but due to the need for a professional appearance in her field, she will occasionally wear eyeliner, lipstick, and other products of the sort at the office. Aisyah is also often seen wearing a silver watch on her left wrist. Formal Attire In the case of court hearings or trials, Aisyah dresses much more formally in dark buttoned suits, blouses, or turtlenecks paired with gray or tan khaki pants and stiletto heels. Though she favours wearing slacks and pants for most situations, she will also sometimes don pencil skirts during more official and dignified events. Aisyah will mostly style her hair into a tight swirled bun and apply more makeup (i.e. eye shadow, eyeliner, lipstick, and foundation) for these settings. During formal times, she does wear more jewelry, including (but not limited to) necklaces, bangles, bracelets, and chandelier earrings. Cultural Attire Aisyah rarely dons cultural dress from Indonesia, as there is usually no need in American public settings with the exception of special events pertaining to culture. As a result, folk costumes are typically reserved for public festivities in either New Yoramigan or San Fransokyo; in New Yoramigan, Aisyah would don ''baro't saya ''(national dress of the Philippines) or the ''Filipiniana ''gown. In terms of San Fransokyo's displays of culture, Aisyah wears her own Acehnese Indonesian dresses for the city's annual Ethnic Harmony Day, a celebration of the racial and ethnic diversity among residents. During this festivity, residents are encouraged to don traditional costumes from their own individual nationalities for a parade of different nations through the city's downtown sector along with booths showing folk dances, dresses, cuisines, and music from various groups. As such, Aisyah and her family will wear outfits from their native Aceh, which, for females, includes a collared blouse, veil decorated with ornaments (typically a hijab), loose trousers, and a printed fabric skirt to overlay the pants. Personality Aisyah is, foremost, characterised by her insistence for and value of independence and self-sustenance. An individualist who deeply appreciates personal judgment and opinions, she prefers to approach situations and tackle issues through her own means. Her desire for self-evaluation of the customs she was raised following (especially religion) has resulted in numerous conflicts between Aisyah and Rasyidah, with the latter being a staunch traditionalist who follows the rules previously integrated or woven into society. Whereas Rasyidah adheres to the traditional practises of Islam and social behaviours rooted in Aceh, Aisyah favours the prospect of determining how she ''herself ''wishes to display her devotion for her faith instead of blindly taking cues she never grew up with (as she was not born in Aceh, so she also possesses the influence of Western culture and openness). Inquisitive and thoughtful, Aisyah has learned to keep an open mind and blank slate when speaking to those of a differing background or upbringing than her, often taking others' opinions into consideration when evaluating her own. Due to career as a criminal defense attorney who has interacted with countless people convicted of various felonies, Aisyah has grown to become an understanding person who typically does not judge others based on their initial demeanours or pasts. Despite this, she maintains a "shield", per say, when the topic of her own familial history and childhood are mentioned, having a difficult time speaking of her adolescence without becoming overly emotional. Aisyah can easily become overwhelmed with emotion (whether positive or negative), often requiring a long period of recovery in the aftermath. Her emotional responses can cloud her judgments and lead her to act rashly or impulsively, such as when she ceased to speak with her mother after an argument involving Aisyah's use (or lack thereof) of the hijab that Rasyidah insisted on. Aisyah's coping methods for devastating events are typically self-deprecating as well, involving the (former) use of alcohol and heavy work loads to distract herself from unfinished or unsolved tension in her mind. Additionally, she has the bad habit of keeping grudges and words released during arguments to heart, which results in Aisyah's proneness to being slow to forgive or move past prior conflicts or events. Having grown up with an overprotective and authoritative mother, Aisyah can be stubborn at times to release preconceptions and notions she truly believes are correct. As she frequently argued with Rasyidah in which she would have to defend herself and repeat her thoughts over again, Aisyah tends to stand her ground on the stances she first takes when entering debates and things of the sort. Nevertheless, Aisyah enjoys speaking her mind and making her opinions clear to those around her, no matter how controversial or unpopular they may be (she has made it clear on several occasions how she believes the reliance on technology in San Fransokyo is pathetic, which has, no doubt, upset some residents there). Professional Information Occupations '''Krei Tech Industries Lab Assistant' Located in San Fransokyo before she headed off to the East Coast to pursue law, Aisyah worked for Krei Tech Industries first as an intern and eventually as a laboratory assistant for Alistair himself during the final years before obtaining her undergraduate degree (she would be the aide directly preceding the one shown in the film years later). She was able to acquire this opportunity through recommendation from her father, who worked as a sales representative for Krei Tech himself and put in a good word for his daughter to Alistair. For this job, Aisyah would often accompany Krei and his team of scientists to their latest experiments and projects, usually tasked with jotting notes of the trials or marking any errors or malfunctions that needed to be revised. At times, Krei would also consult Aisyah for advice or ideas for his projects or for any potential additions he could include to improve the functionality of his devices. Though she was initially on good terms with Alistair and enjoyed his company in the workplace, Aisyah came to reject Krei Tech's ideals and grey morals following the horrific failure of the Project Silent Sparrow trial, which resulted in the supposed death of the test pilot, Abigail Callaghan. She would thus leave the corporation out of anger and disgust for Krei's blatant disregard for human life. Waitress Aisyah's second career after Krei Tech Industries. While attending New Yoramigan Law School in her hometown, she first worked at a joint serving Filipino foods but would later serve as a waitress at a local popular Indonesian restaurant called Mie Banda Cafe (which was run by an Aceh native and specialised in Sumatran and Acehnese cuisine). This job was mainly used to sustain herself, satisfy her day-to-day living expenses, and pay off her tuition as a student at NYLS, though Aisyah was allowed to save some of the restaurant's leftover foods for herself in the form of take-home dinner meals. Criminal Defense Attorney Following her graduation from New Yoramigan Law School, Aisyah returned to San Fransokyo through an offer from a high school friend to work for the latter's family firm, Iwamoto-Rainer LLP (which is where Aisyah currently works). She is typically quite preoccupied with her career, working an average of 40-50 hours per week depending on the specific case and research required. Many of Aisyah's clients are San Fransokyo locals or natives, though she has received several cases from out-of-state. Background Cultural Affiliation As overseas Indonesians living abroad, Aisyah's parents have always made a strong effort to preserve their Acehnese cultural identity wherever they went. Though the family lived in New Yoramigan — a predominantly Filipino city with a small Indonesian community — for many years and had assimilated to some local customs and norms through the hospitality of their Filipino neighbours, Sulaiman and Rasyidah always maintained their distinct Acehnese-Indonesian roots through the changes. This distinction of ethnic heritage was passed to both Aisyah and her sister Fatimah, especially during their early years in New Yoramigan. However, while living in the East Coast, Aisyah preferred to identify herself solely as "Indonesian" when inquired by others outside her family, believing a broader and more general description would be more appropriate in that situation. Because the Hanafiah family also interacted closely with the rest of the Muslim Indonesian American diaspora there (which included people from Indonesia's multitude of ethnicities), it was often simpler and more convenient for Aisyah to use standard Indonesian in communication (as other Indonesians may not understand Acehnese if they hailed from different regions or ethnic groups). After the move to San Fransokyo in the West Coast — which possessed a much smaller Southeast Asian and Indonesian populace — Aisyah began identifying more with her regional Acehnese roots and has begun the process to regain fluency in her native tongue through conversations with her parents. Today, she affiliates strongly with the region and customs of Aceh while acknowledging being a part of the larger Indonesian American population as a whole. Religious Affiliation Aisyah was raised in a highly staunch Shafi'i Sunni Muslim household, as her parents hailed from the region (Aceh) and ethnic group (Acehnese) most notable for their devout profession of Islam of all Indonesian groups. The form of orthodox-like Islam practised within the Hanafiah household also contains some elements of traditional shamanistic beliefs such as magic and female deities from pre-Islamic times. Aisyah's parents have always emphasised, in particular, the fulfillment of the Five Pillars, which includes hajj ''(pilgrimage to Mecca), ''zakat ''(giving of charity), and ''sawm ''(fasting, as in during Ramadan), having both Aisyah and her sister adhere to a strict and rigid interpretation of the creed practised among many other Acehnese. Though Aisyah was initially satisfied with the system her parents had set, she began to long to practise her own personal interpretation of Islam as she grew older. She especially challenged her parents' wish for her to don the ''hijab, which she had always worn since early childhood as a part of the rigid agenda the family clung to. In Aisyah's own eyes, the Qur'an did not specifically demand for the hijab to be worn (it only asks for modesty, which is often left to open debate by modern Islamic scholars as well), and so Aisyah did not believe she had to wear it as her parents wished. For a time during her adolescence and teenage years, Aisyah would often argue with her father and mother over the issue of open evaluation, which left her refusing to speak to them for several periods to avoid the topic. After leaving for New Yoramigan to study on her own for law school, Aisyah was able to determine her own approach to Islam in peace, which was more influenced by the open-minded and liberal form that many of her fellow Muslim friends practised. She then returned to San Fransokyo to her parents without a hijab after finishing law school; though Aisyah's parents initially scorned her for her decision, they have begun to open up to the prospect of a looser interpretation of religion and are currently moving towards a more accepting attitude of their daughter's choice. Currently, Aisyah identifies herself as a non-denominational Muslim who doesn't affiliate with any of the specific schools of thought (fiqh), preferring to practise Islam "just as it purely is, without any additional external influence". She does not adhere to religion as strictly as her parents would have wanted, favouring a more flexible schedule of prayer and worship. Languages Spoken Acehnese Aisyah's first language and mother tongue, which her parents originally spoke to her in during early childhood. Acehnese — which, in reality, has approximately 3.5 million speakers (mainly concentrated in Sumatra, Indonesia, and Malaysia) — was used alongside standard Indonesian in the Hanafiah home, as Aisyah and her parents first lived in a small community of Indonesians in New Yoramigan at the time of Aisyah's early childhood. According to her parents, Aisyah would sing traditional Acehnese-language songs when she was around 4-5 years old, though this would not last as Aisyah would lose fluency in her ethnic tongue as she aged. She is not ''fluent in the language, being mostly unable to read and write Acehnese (which, despite using the Latin alphabet, has several accented letters not found in other Indonesian languages). After she began elementary school, her parents would mainly speak to her in a mix of Indonesian and English, with Acehnese used only among the older adults and within the smaller group of Indonesians originating from Aceh specifically. As a result, Aisyah displays greater fluency in Indonesian than her native Acehnese, though she can still listen to and understand the spoken language with relative ease (actively producing sentences, however, presents a challenge). '''English' English is actually Aisyah's second language, learned after Acehnese when she started attending a public elementary school at the age of 6. She initially had an Acehnese-Indonesian accent when speaking English due to not having used it at all in the household during her early childhood, but she eventually grew out of it as she progressed through higher grade levels. Aisyah considers English to be the language she is most fluent in and best at utilising, also having attended English writing workshops in elementary and intermediate school and being a former student journalist for her high school's newspaper. Indonesian The standardised version of Indonesian was used alongside English following the decline of Acehnese in Aisyah's childhood, and so she maintains a relatively solid grasp of the language to this day. Living in a tight community of fellow Indonesian Americans in New Yoramigan also contributed to Aisyah's increased usage of the tongue, as children were encouraged to speak to one another in Indonesian (in this case, Acehnese could not have been used due to the other members of the community being of differing ethnic ''backgrounds, with some being Javanese, Chinese-Indonesian, Sundanese, Balinese, etc with their own individual languages — thus, Indonesian was used as a ''lingua franca ''among the various groups). Aisyah and her family would also visit Indonesia frequently, and so she was able to exercise her knowledge when speaking to locals there. '''Tagalog' Aisyah speaks and understands basic Tagalog due to the strong Filipino influence in her birthplace of New Yoramigan, where fluency in Tagalog and English is prevalent among most citizens. She mostly picked up on Tagalog by hearing it spoken by other residents throughout New Yoramigan, during her years in a private Catholic school, and through her many Filipino friends. Her capability for understanding exceeds her ability to speak due to having passively heard the language more than she actively used it in conversation. Nevertheless, Aisyah knows enough Tagalog to order at Filipino restaurants and speak with locals on a basic casual level (she does not have the vocabulary for technical and more specialised terms, being mostly limited to conversational words). Familial History Aisyah's parents are Nyak Sulaiman Hanafiah (ڽق سليمان حنفيه) and Keumala Rasyidah Putéh (كومالا رشيده ڤوتيه), both Sunni Muslim immigrants from the province of Aceh in western Indonesia (located at the northernmost region of the island of Sumatra). Sulaiman was born and raised in the Acehnese capital city of Banda Aceh as the middle child in a family of five, while Rasyidah hails from Lhokseumawe south of Banda Aceh as the eldest daughter of seven children. Sulaiman and his parents left Aceh due to social, economic, and political issues in their native region when Sulaiman was aged 14, so he and his family settled in New Yoramigan for better opportunities and a better life. Sulaiman thus completed his high school and higher education in New Yoramigan. Because he came at a young age, he was able to quickly pick up on English, some Tagalog, and the Filipino customs of those living around him. As a young adult, Sulaiman majored in business at the Unibersidad ni Santo Tomas (University of Saint Thomas) in New Yoramigan; after he completed his college education, Sulaiman's parents returned to Aceh. Rasyidah came to the United States much later in life, arriving in New Yoramigan as a college student studying finance/accounting at UST. Sulaiman and Rasyidah thus met through their shared educational institution and were married in Indonesia at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh before returning back to New Yoramigan to start a family. Early Life Aisyah was born in New Yoramigan, United States on November 2, 1999, to Sulaiman Hanafiah and Rasyidah Putéh two years after her elder sister, Fatimah Meutia (فاطمه موتيا). Sulaiman worked for a local biomedical engineering company as a sales representative, while Rasyidah was a CPA for tax preparation service. Though of Acehnese-Indonesian Muslim heritage, Aisyah was raised in one of the non-Filipino families of New Yoramigan. Despite this, Aisyah was raised immersed in Philippine cultures, cuisines, and languages (primarily Tagalog, which was spoken in her neighbourhood by other residents), while her parents attempted as best they could to cultivate their Acehnese heritage in the house. Aisyah thus spoke a blend of standard Indonesian and English (a blend she liked to affectionately call "In-glish") with her parents at home, while she was able to pick up on bits of Tagalog through interaction with other Yoramiganians. As a child, Aisyah and her elder sister attended Mary Immaculate School, a private Catholic institution. Because the city did not have any solely Islamic academies, Sulaiman and Rasyidah decided that they wanted their daughters to have a religious education anyway, preferring a Christian (as Islam and Christianity are both rooted in Abrahamic beliefs) school over public education. As a result, Aisyah and Fatimah were two of the several non-Catholic students attending the school — at the time, both donned the hijab on a daily basis — but nevertheless, the instructors were willing to accept Muslim pupils and provide an alternative course for the sisters whenever the other students participated in Mass, Christian rituals, etc. On weekends, Aisyah attended an extra Saturday school course at the local mosque that focused on Arabic and Qur'anic studies, while she and her family were highly active at Masjid Al-Hikmah for prayers and community events. As a child, Aisyah's main passion was dance, so she attended an academy that offered both Filipino and non-Filipino national dances. In particular, she focused on traditional Acehnese dances such as Ratéb Meuseukat ''or ''Ratoh Duek, which were both performed with a group comprised solely of females. As one of the only Acehnese/Indonesian in her school, Aisyah would take immense pride whenever she obtained the opportunity to showcase her culture to the other students of Mary Immaculate School during talent shows and other performances. While maintaining awareness of her own heritage, Aisyah was able to adjust to and learn from the Filipino-influenced society around her and picked up on local etiquette and norms pretty quickly. Though she was from a minority group within the city's larger population, she and her family were always made to feel welcome by their neighbours without the need for an Indonesian-exclusive enclave as was present among other diaspora groups in other cities throughout the United States. During childhood, Aisyah rarely had any issues with her mother regarding independence, and so she would obediently (though albeit blindly) follow whatever behaviours or traits Rasyidah wanted for her daughter to possess. As a student at Mary Immaculate School, Aisyah was not among the most popular of students, but she had her own secure group of friends of whom she'd known since early childhood. For most of her childhood, Aisyah continued to strive for a career in folk dance through encouragement from friends at the dance institution she attended. At age 14, Aisyah and her family made the major move from New Yoramigan in the East Coast to San Fransokyo in the Bay Area of the West Coast. Before the relocation, Sulaiman had been out of a job due to the company he previously worked for letting many long-time employees go with the arrival of a new management staff and subsequent sweeping changes to the worker hierarchy. Sulaiman searched for any other careers that were similar to this past position in New Yoramigan and the suburbs and cities surrounding it, but to no avail, until he received an offer from Krei Tech Industries in San Fransokyo for a newly-opened position as a sales representative. Due to this being the only option at hand for Sulaiman at the time (he had been out of a job for nearly six months and was nearing not having enough to pay for his property and taxes), he and his wife decided this was the only choice they could take and prepared to make the transition to San Fransokyo. While Fatimah was readily accepting of the change — she was in her last year of high school anyway and would have the option to leave for college — Aisyah actively resisted and pleaded for her parents to reconsider. What Aisyah feared most was the prospect of having to restart her entire social life as a teenager (which is especially difficult as is, considering the following school year would be her sophomore year) and the culture shock of moving from Yoramigan's emphasis on the arts, politics, and business to a city dominated by technology and engineering (and, in Aisyah's eyes, a "weaboo city" filled with anime- and manga-obsessed freaks). Nevertheless, she was suggested to keep an open mind and look forward to the technological developments that would be at her fingertips if she became a resident, and for the last few weeks before the move, Aisyah was able to adopt this mindset by looking forward to the advancements of the city. Aisyah and Fatimah thus attended Shimeya High School together; Aisyah began her sophomore year while Fatimah was in her senior year and started working on college applications then. Unfortunately, Aisyah was overwhelmed and intimidated by what she encountered in San Fransokyo; as one of the leading tech centres of the world, the academic pressure placed on students there to exceed expectations was immense and would become a source of extreme stress for Aisyah herself. Though she was a relatively good student who had good grades in New Yoramigan, the students of San Fransokyo would overexert themselves with AP/Honors courses, clubs, other academics, sports, and instruments all in the hopes of grabbing the attention of any of the city's famed schools. Aisyah thus realised the work she'd done in Yoramigan that she herself considered to be "excellent" or "well-done" would not meet the same criteria in San Fransokyo, which demotivated her from striving for good grades for the first few months of her time at Shimeya. Aisyah thus took a disliking towards San Fransokyan society, deeming the residents as over-reliant on their tech and "not human" due to their overly high expectations for their children to succeed. Additionally, as a teenager, Aisyah often engaged in arguments with her mother, with the former believing the latter was clingy and not allowing her to grow up independently. Rasyidah, who wanted to instill traditional Indonesian values into Aisyah, was often met with resistance from her daughter who wished to live the way she wanted. Their conflicts most often reflected religion and Islam, as Rasyidah had tried to enforce the strict interpretation of Islam she followed onto Aisyah, who desired to create her own evaluation and corresponding adherence to the creed. Aisyah, who did not believe in the mandatory use of the hijab, went head-on with Rasyidah right before her graduation from high school, resulting in a feud that would remain unresolved for several months. Adulthood Following graduation from Shimeya High, Aisyah attended the University of San Fransokyo (USF) for her undergraduate studies, though she rented her own apartment to be away from her mother. During this time, she also obtained a part-time career working as a lab assistant for Krei Tech Industries through a recommendation from her father, a trusted employee of Alistair. Aisyah would become one of the assistants present on Akuma Island during the first trial of Project Silent Sparrow with Krei and the general, assigned to jot notes of the successes and failures of the test. Witnessing Krei's irresponsibility and selfishness when he commanded for his scientists to proceed with sending the test pilot in disgusted and horrified Aisyah, who had begun to harbour distrustful and scornful feelings for Alistair and his corporation prior. After Abigail was presumed to be dead with the portal destroyed, Aisyah, upset, left Krei Tech but kept her spare notes of the portals' functions and controls in her home. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she transferred to New Yoramigan Law School back in her home city for further education. Though she wished to stay in Yoramigan permanently, Aisyah decided to return to San Fransokyo to patch things up with her mother, who she had become estranged from during her college years. There, Aisyah was contacted by an old high school friend, Rumiko "Rumi" Iwamoto, to work for her father's firm, Iwamoto-Rainer LLP, which Aisyah finally agreed to after careful consideration. For her first case, she offered to represent Professor Robert Callaghan of SFIT by presenting Callaghan's lawsuit against Krei Tech Industries for the supposed murder of his daughter, Abigail. Aisyah lost the case, however, as she was still much too inexperienced in the courtroom, along with the fact that Krei managed to utilise his private connections and influence to triumph. Aisyah — who overreacted and became upset and ashamed over the early loss in her career at the hands of Krei Tech Industries — attempted to pry more information out of Alistair himself, believing he had somehow bribed the judge and jury to favour his position. What started as a ploy to "reconnect with her former boss" would eventually turn into an outright affair, as Aisyah had allowed her guard to slip in speaking to Alistair after several years. After the relationship ended, Krei cut all ties from Aisyah, with the latter left in shame for her actions. Big Hero 6 Aisyah does not play a major role in the film itself, but she was present to witness Krei's failed Project Silent Sparrow trial with the "death" of Abigail Callaghan. Following Robert's attack on the city under the guise of Yokai, Aisyah offered to take the former professor's case in court for the crimes he committed. Realising that the test pilot, Abigail, had been locked in hypersleep during her time stuck in the portal but was very-well alive, Aisyah felt an obligation to fight for the Callaghan family and expose the faults and wrongdoings of Krei Tech Industries. Aisyah thus argues for Callaghan's altered mental state during his execution of the attacks and the wrongdoings of Krei Tech Industries (including the charges of Corporate Manslaughter, or the responsibility for Abigail's "death", and Bribery, which kept the failed project concealed so as not to release its details for public knowledge), eventually winning the case and set Robert free. Robert is released into Divya's guardianship, while Aisyah continues her aspiring career in law. Relatives & Relationships Nyak Sulaiman Hanafiah Aisyah's and Fatimah's easygoing and charismatic father and the husband of Rasyidah Puteh. Sulaiman currently works as a sales representative for Krei Tech Industries; previously, he was employed by a local company in New Yoramigan that manufactured medical supplies. Sulaiman, despite being the father of the household, often concedes authority and control to his wife due to his laid-back manner. He prefers to allow Rasyidah to manage the children and run the home the way she likes it (knowing his spouse's tendencies for control, he has silently decided to allow her to get what she wants in order to prevent tension between them) but will occasionally interfere and defend Aisyah and Fatimah if Rasyidah crosses lines or uses faulty judgment in her decisions. An understanding and compassionate — albeit at times naïve — man, he tries to make the best of the circumstances he's forced into (i.e. moving his family across the country to San Fransokyo) and makes conscious efforts to try to make his daughters and Rasyidah happy. At times, he'll be guilt-tripped by coworkers or family into doing things out of spite or impulse without thoroughly thinking his actions and their corresponding consequences through. Keumala Rasyidah Putéh The spouse of Sulaiman, mother of Aisyah and Fatimah, and a traditionalist Acehnese woman and de facto matriarch of the family. Rasyidah is a CPA or Certified Public Accountant by occupation, having met her husband while studying finance in New Yoramigan as a young adult (they met through a mutual friend in the Yoramigan Indonesian community). The real "mastermind" behind the family, Rasyidah tends to be imposing and strict when it comes to regulating her daughters and keeping order and organisation in the house. A devoutly religious woman, she follows the same staunch interpretation of Islam practised in her native Aceh and thus has worn a hijab all her life. As she was raised in a family of seven children as the eldest sister, she is accustomed to being in a position of power within her family life and bossing those younger than her around. As a result, Rasyidah often believes that she is undoubtedly correct in all she does, maintaining the mindset that her age, expertise, and knowledge trump any differing opinions made by others. Because of this thought process, she would often get into arguments with Aisyah over how Aisyah wanted to live her own life, practise her religion, etc, as Rasyidah was not accustomed to facing any retaliation due to her siblings all having obeyed her silently during their childhood. Rasyidah and Aisyah remain on wary terms to this day, though their relationship has since improved with the former becoming more open-minded and flexible. Fatimah Meutia Alonto (née Hanafiah) The first child of Sulaiman and Rasyidah, born two years before Aisyah and aged 35. She currently resides in New Yoramigan and is married to Maranao Filipino man Mamintal Alonto with one daughter, Nafisah. Fatimah followed in her mother's footsteps in the accounting field, and she also works as a CPA in her own office. As children, Aisyah looked up to her elder sister as a guide and example, as Fatimah was always sure of her life and what type of future she wanted (Aisyah didn't decide to enter law until a teacher in high school recommended for her to do so). Since Aisyah and her mother frequently bickered in part due to Aisyah's desire for independence and self-regulation of her own life, Aisyah would thus try to copy the example of her calm and patient sister who rarely took any words of offence to heart. She also managed to become a much more open-minded person herself through striving to achieve Fatimah's "go with the flow" attitude — for example, Aisyah used to be a picky eater and would complain when her parents brought her somewhere she did not want or did not like, but she has since learned to become more agreeable with whatever others want through observing Fatimah. Ollie Ollie is a 6-year-old brown Holland Lop rabbit and Aisyah's pet. He was originally a gift from her elder sister, Fatimah, after Aisyah graduated from New Yoramigan Law School. Fatimah chose Ollie based on the fact that her younger sister loved rabbits as a child and that Aisyah would constantly ask their parents if they could get a "pet bunny". Though Ollie came as a surprise to Aisyah when she first received him, she gladly took the Holland Lop in and has cared for him for six years in her condo. Whenever Aisyah is out of the home or at work, she usually allows Ollie to roam about the residence freely and occasionally leaves the sliding door to her backyard partially open so Ollie can go outside. Trivia Model Aisyah's model/face claim is Indonesian model and actress Prisia Wulandari Nasution '''(1984-). Prisia_1.jpeg Prisia_2.jpg Prisia_3.jpg Name Etymology * '''Putroë (ڤوتري) - Acehnese traditional feminine name meaning "daughter" * Aisyah (عايشه) - Indonesian form of the Arabic feminine name Aisha (عائشة) meaning "alive, she who lives" * 'Hanafiah (حنفيه) '- Acehnese name referring to the Hanafi school of thought (fiqh) in Sunni Islam Other Facts * In addition to visiting her parents' hometowns in Indonesia (Banda Aceh for her father and Lhokseumawe for her mother, respectively), Aisyah has also been to some other parts of the archipelago. During her past vacations, she's also traveled to Jakarta, Medan, and Bali (Denpasar). Excluding Indonesia, she's also visited the nearby Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei with family along with the Philippines with New Yoramigan friends. * Aisyah grew up eating both Indonesian and Filipino food due to living in New Yoramigan; her mother would cook Acehnese and Indonesian dishes at home while she'd eat Filipino cuisine outside of the home with friends or at school. As a result, she's received a few surprised looks from strangers when she's showcased her knowledge of Filipino dishes. * Aisyah does not consume pork, as it is considered haram or forbidden by Islamic tradition. Whenever she orders dishes that usually contain pork, she'll ask for substitutions of other kinds of meat that are permissible (mainly beef, chicken, or fish). * Though Aisyah and Fatimah attended a Catholic school, they were not forced to partake in any religious services such as Mass, as it was not considered a part of their religion. During school Masses, the sisters would sit out and work on their own class assignments. * According to Sulaiman, the reason he and Rasyidah decided to stay in New Yoramigan to have Fatimah and Aisyah after college was due to the hospitality they received from the city's Filipino residents in accordance to bayanihan, or the spirit of helping neighbours (from a custom of a community helping to move a family's nipa hut). * She owns a Holland Lop rabbit named Ollie, who was a gift from Fatimah after Aisyah completed law school in New Yoramigan. * She loves shopping at Bath & Body Works, especially for their scented candles. Aisyah owns a personal collection of these candles in her condo, and she enjoys lighting them when she feels stressed and wants to relax. * Aisyah's first name is actually "Putroë", which is an indigenous Acehnese name. Since most people have a difficult time pronouncing it, she prefers to go solely by "Aisyah", her legal middle name. * Mary Immaculate School was far from Aisyah's home in New Yoramigan at the time, so Aisyah, Fatimah, and one of their friends, Morgan Legaspi, would carpool together in Morgan's father's car to go to school every day. Sulaiman had to leave for work before school started for the two, while Rasyidah drove in the opposite direction to her office. They would also be picked up to be dropped at home by Morgan's father. * Aisyah still remembers the lyrics to an Acehnese song accompanying the Ratéb Meuseukat or Ratoh Duek from childhood, as they are two of her personal favourite dances. Her favourite lyrics from the Meuseukat would be the following in both Acehnese and Arabic, accompanying a fast-paced portion of the dance: Jannatun salim jannatun (Allah)... Jannatun salim maya salim (salim Jannah)... Sikut maut di teuka tuba (Allah)... Macam-macam di teuka gempa (Allah-Allah) Scrapped Concepts * Aisyah is actually a revamp of an old OC, Mesedu Gadzhieva, who was also a lawyer who worked against Krei Tech Industries. The change in ethnicity was used both as a refresher so I could rewrite many parts of Mesedu's background that I wasn't satisfied with and to add representation of my own familial nationality. Before Mesedu, the character has faced many nationality changes including Crimean Tatar, Armenian, Georgian, Greek, Polish, Chechen, Druze, Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian), Tajik, and Azerbaijani. ** One old concept actually envisioned the character as Indonesian, but belonging to the Javanese ethnic group (at the time, her name was Nur Fatimah Zulkarnaen). * She also worked as a stand-up comedian at one point, but I scrapped this idea in favour of her being a waitress at Mie Banda Cafe. * In an earlier sketch of Aisyah, the character had shorter hair that reached her chin. Aisyah's hair was originally wavier, and she had a widow's peak adorning her forehead. * Her height was adjusted from 5'7" (1.80 m) to 5'5" (1.65 m) to 5'4" (1.63 m) and finally to 5'6" (1.68 m). * Her surname was either going to be "Puteh" or "Mardhiah" at one point, but I didn't like how these sounded with her given name. Instead, "Putéh" was saved as her mother's last name. * Aisyah was going to own two dogs named Kiku (a Shiba Inu) and Luka (Samoyed), but this was changed as I forgot to account for the fact that dogs are not typically owned by Muslims due to them being viewed as unclean. * Her sister's name was changed from "Sadiah" to "Fatimah". References Category:Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Females